


Lions and Tigers and Bears

by flutegirl



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cultural Differences, Gen, there is more than one Arkenstone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2019-01-10 21:05:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12307779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flutegirl/pseuds/flutegirl
Summary: Thorin and Company suspected that Smaug might be alive and waiting for them inside the Lonely Mountain. What was actually inside the mountain was nothing anyone could ever have predicted, a secret the elves had long believed to be lost. This will change everything.





	Lions and Tigers and Bears

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at fanfic. Constructive feedback welcome.

Krisna looked up as the young male tiger leapt up the stairs to the ledge where she was sitting. From his stance, to the look in his eye, Krisna knew something was amiss and mentally began to brace herself for whatever storm was about to break.

“there’s something outside, something strange,” he panted.

“Naditha, there are many things outside,” Krisna sighed. “you have never traveled from this home, and there are many, many things in the wide world that you have never seen.” But that only seemed to agitate Naditha further so Krisna asked, “what does it smell like?”

“Like the earth when it rains in spring. It came from the lake with some creatures that smelled like burning iron. It went with them to the west slope, climbing towards the door,” Naditha said. By the time he finished, his voice was high and soft with fear.

Krisna knew enough of the world to understand what he had seen and it worried her, but not for the same reason it worried him.

“Is the door closed?” she asked.

Naditha nodded, adding “and everyone is inside.”

Krisna smiled, they would have some time yet. She nuzzled Naditha as she said, “What you smelled is one of the Hidden Gardeners, many call them Hobbits. They are usually happy, harmless little creatures who value growing plants and good food over riches and power, unlike many creatures in this world. Though it is strange for one to roam so far from the plains, especially with Dwarves, the ones who smelled like burning iron.”

Naditha looked up with big eyes and whispered, “Then they won’t try to hurt us?”

“The hobbit, no. The dwarves, you can never be sure of. I’ll speak to the others after dinner and we’ll decide what to do.”

Krisna smiled at Naditha before playfully swiping him with her pay, knocking him off his feet. He bounded up with a laugh before pouncing her. They wrestled on the ledge for a few minutes before Krisna jumped down to the lower level. Naditha looked at her, not quite old enough to trust his skill at making such a jump.

“Go play with the other cubs. I’ll see you later,” she called and bounded off down the tunnel, laughing at Naditha’s put out growl at being called a cub.

 

Krisna navigated the dark tunnels quickly, relying more on memory than sight, until she reached the Grand Chamber. A single fire burned in the center, reflecting off thousands upon thousands of gold coins so the whole room was filled with a faint, golden light. More than enough for her to see the male she was looking for. Mato was crouched atop a smaller mound of coins, studying something at his feet. Climbing up the mound, she shifted to wrap her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his shoulder. Looking down, she saw that he was studying a large, white jewel. The stone seemed to have a fire burning inside it that shown out as many, tiny prisms.

“is that what I think it is?” she asked quietly.

“a star jewel,” Mato nodded. “I found it when some coins shifted and fell away this morning.”

Krisna frowned. A star jewel was serious and something they did not need right now.

“Great,” she murmured. “Naditha saw Dwarves outside a little while ago.”

Mato stiffened, “what are we going to do?” he whispered.

“with any luck, they thing the fire lizard is still alive. They probably do. Nadi said they were headed for the invisible door, not the main one. And there aren’t that many of them.”

“Bilal will fight you over this.”

Krisna rolled her eyes at the mention of her half-brother, “Bilal fights me over everything.”

Mato sighted and shifted, forcing Krisna to let go as he towered above her now much smaller frame. “I’ll watch the passage,” he rumbled and she watched the great bear head off in that direction.

“I’ll send Aditya with meat for you,” Krisna called after him but he didn’t answer.

 

 

For several minutes, Krisna stood unmoving, watching the tunnel Mato had disappeared down, thinking about their new situation. She looked down at the star jewel.

“Krisna!” The voice boomed through the chamber, filled with rage.

Krisna resisted the urge to groan as the large male lion charged across the chamber towards her. She could feel the anger pouring off him, saw his bared teeth and knew there would be no talking this out. So she shifted and braced her feet, teeth bared.

Bilal hit her with everything he had, knocking her down. When shifted, she was the largest of the pack but Bilal, as a fully grown male lion, was no laughing matter. Krisna knew from experience that size alone would not win a fight. If his temper was hot enough, he could beat her, but that did not mean she would go down without a good fight. They went at each other. Biting, scratching, hitting, grabbing and throwing across the chamber, coins and jewels flying around them as if caught in a hurricane. Bilal fought with rage while Krisna watched for an opportunity to pin him down. She guessed that he had heard Naditha’s news and, if that were true, his rage would be understandable, but still unnecessary.

‘Really, ‘ Krisna thought, ‘all he had to say was I told you so.’ But Bilal and Krisna did not always use the same logic. Bilal was ruled by his heart, not by his head.

Finally, she saw her chance. Bilal mis-stepped and Krisna knocked out his back legs. When he fell, some loose coins sent him sliding. He landed and Krisna jumped on his back before he could regain his feet, pinning him at an awkward angle, from which he could not get the leverage to throw her off. If he had been a tiger, she would have scruffed him. However, since his impressive mane prevented that, she bit his ear, hard enough to hurt, but not hard enough to draw blood. Though he could not throw her off, he still struggled for several more minutes before going still, panting heavily. Krisna held on a little longer before deciding that enough of his rage had been spent and that they could talk, or at worst, have a shouting match. Either way, he was more inclined to be reasonable. Taking a deep breath, she released him and stood up. After a moment, Bilal shifted and stood up to look her in the eye.

Looking back, Krisna could see that he was still angry, but more than that, he was afraid. Deciding to give him a physical advantage as a feeling of security, she shifted as well and stepped back so she would not have to strain to meet his eyes. Bilal now stood nearly two heads taller than her. His tawny brown hair brushed his powerful shoulders. His strong muscles flexed as he drew himself up to look down on her and Krisna could admit to herself that in this form, he was very intimidating. Tall and strong, he could break her slight form with his bare hands. She also knew that, despite his temper, his sense of honor restrained him from physically striking out against any female in this weaker form so she was safe for now. She took a deep, calming breath and raised her dark brown eyes to meet his amber ones.

“is this about what Naditha told me earlier?” she asked quietly. She was almost certain it was, but she wanted to be sure.

“He saw dwarves approaching the mountain. They are coming to take the mountain and drive us out! I told you we should have stayed away from this cursed place.” His body trembled and, if she hadn’t known him so well, Krisna would have mistaken it for anger instead of the fear it was.

“At the time it was the best choice,” she said softly. “we needed the meat, winter was coming fast. Besides, this was a safe haven since none from the woods or the lake would come near this place.” Krisna saw Bilal open his mouth to argue and hurried on, “we don’t know how many dwarves we are dealing with or what their true purpose is. Mato is guarding the passage by the western door and if it comes down to it, we make use of the other passages to reach the other doors.”

Bilal was not appeased. “what can Mato do against dwarves? That’s a straight passage! He’ll be dead before he can move.”

Krisna bristled at the implied insult. “Mato may be a bear but he can move as well as the rest of us, and just as fast. And you forget, dwarves use axes and hammers, not spears and arrows. Mato can easily outrun them and so can we.”

Bilal’s eyes widened and his hands clenched. Krisna could see he was looking for an argument that would let him win this battle of wills. Suddenly, she remembered what she had learned only three days earlier! Her eyes widened as she mentally slapped herself. How could she have forgotten? It’s a miracle Bilal hadn’t maimed her.

“Bilal,” she said gently and with all the conviction she could muster, “we will protect Shamari. Nothing will happen to her or her cubs.”

That stumped Bilal. He looked at her in shock, “You knew?”

“I had my own cubs ten years ago. Shriya had a litter our first winter here. I know the signs.”

“And you still would insist that we stay in this death trap?”

“it’s the best protection we have.”

“there is nowhere to run if they come for us.”

“there are hundreds of connected passageways.”

“with hundreds of places for hunters to hide.”

“we see better in the darkness than anything that might try to get in.”

“They could cut us off from our food and water. Then we would starve.”

“or turn the hunters into prey.”

Bilal stepped back as if struck, eyes wide with horror. What she had just proposed bordered on blasphemy. But she was not about to take it back. She stood straight and tall, boldly staring him down. They were not going to die like cattle or be hunted like rabbits. They would survive. Their cubs would be safe. She would not allow for anything else and would do anything to protect her pack.

“We have kept our pack safe so far, we will continue to keep them safe. Trust me.”

“Trusting you got us into this mess in the first place,” Bilal growled and with that he stalked off, probable to find Shamari. Krisna let him go, keeping her back straight and her face impassive so he would not see how badly his final words had hurt. He probably knew without looking.

 

 

Once he was beyond hearing, she fled down a different passage into the heart of the mountain. She did not shift but ran on two legs, using more energy and pushing her frailer body to its limit in an effort to fight back the tears that threatened to escape. Despite how often it happened, fighting Bilal still hurt no matter who won because in spite of everything, she loved him and even though she was the older of the two, she still craved his approval. That he fought her on just about everything was a constant reminder of what he would not give her, and that nothing she did was ever good enough to please him.

Finally, she came to the end of the passage. The tunnel opened up into, what was once, a mine shaft. With nowhere left to run, Krisna sank to the floor, drawing her knees up to her chest. Against her will, the tears came. She cried quietly for a few minutes before she felt arms around her shoulders. She stiffened even as she was gently pulled against a soft, warm body. Without looking, she knew it was Shriya. The gentle tiger had most likely followed Bilal when he set out to confront her. Which meant she had quietly listened to their entire fight in the chamber and then followed her. It was the only way she could have caught up so quickly.

Shriya did not try to voice comfort or assurances and Krisna was grateful. Shriya was one of those rare individuals who knew how to console by just being present. However, because she was a tiger, Shriya did not understand Krisna’s need for a connection with her brother. Not that she did not have any siblings. Her twin brother Karthik lived with them and was a willing babysitter. But Shriya had never craved his love as Krisna craved Bilal’s. Even so, Shriya was a mother with two young cubs. When she saw that someone was hurting, her first instinct was to offer comfort.

After several long minutes, Krisna’s tears stopped and her breath evened out. She raised her eyes and offered Shriya a small smile in thanks. Giving one final squeeze, Shryia let go and moved so she was facing Krisna.

“So what’s the plan?” She asked. Krisna could not help but laugh at Shryia’s blunt method for changing topics.

“Mato is watching the passage. Dwarves have never been hunters. Niether have hobbits for that matter. In all likelihood, they’re just treasure hunters who will leave once they have all the gold they can carry. So, we will watch, keep out of sight. If it comes down to it, we’re stronger and better armed. But I don’t think it will come to that.”

Shriya nodded then said, “we should have Shamari take the cubs to the deep chambers. There is nothing of value to a dwarf down there and they will be well hidden.”

Krisna smiled her, “that’s a good idea. That will be on less thing for everyone to worry about. And the lake is near there so they will not lack for water.” Neither one of them voiced the thought that assuring Shamari’s safety would act as a balm on Bilal’s temper.

“Do we know how many dwarves there are?” Shriya asked.

Krisna shook her head. “Nadi didn’t say but I don’t think it’s more than fifty. He was scared, not panicked. I really don’t think we have anything to worry about. We killed that fire lizard, what are a few dwarves?”

“In that case, it’s time to eat,” Shriya said and she stood up then offered Krisna a hand up. Krisna looked into Shriya’s yellow eyes and smiled in gratitude. She had just a moment to wonder that the flash of mischief in the taller female’s eyes before she found herself swept off her feet and over Shriya’s shoulder. Shriya spun them around and around until they were both laughing and Krisna was to dizzy to tell which way was which. Then Shriya put her down and raced down the tunnel laughing. Once Krisna got her bearings, she raced after her, laughing all the way.

 

 

Krisna quickly caught up to Shriya and together they raced towards where the pack gathered for meals. Shriya got there first, her longer legs and head start giving her an advantage over Krisna’s speed. The cavern they entered had once been a forge. When the mountain’s previous inhabitants had left, they had taken nothing from the forge with them. As a result, the pack had fuel to make fire, if they wanted extra warmth or cooked meat, and places in which to hold it. Looking around, Krisna saw that they were the last to arrive, except for Mato who would not be there. Her cubs, Naditha and Aditya were playing with Karthik in the center of the room. Bilal, Shamari and her sister, Samira were sitting around a fire. Zadie, Diya and Mahni were all curled up in a pile of limbs and fur around Shriya’s cubs, Adiya and Anajya.

As they entered, every one turned and their eyes landed on Krisna. They cubs all had wide eyes. The adults ranged from calm and relaxed to tense and guarded. Shamari was the worst and Krisna could almost hear the pounding of her heart. She sighed and then squared her shoulders, walking purposefully towards the fire and pulled some meat off the spit before turning to her older cub.

“Aditya, please take this to Mato. He’s watching the passage by the western door.” Aditya’s hands trembled as he reached for the meat. Krisna gave him a reassuring smile and he took a deep breath before smiling back at her and leaving. Once he left, Krisna and Shriya divided the rest of the meat among the pack. Everyone ate in silence. Even the cubs seemed to feel that now was not the time to be playing. Aditya raced back in to get his own meal before going to sit beside his brother.

 

 

Once the meal was done, and everyone had wiped their hands and faces, Krisna took a deep breath and stood beside the fire where she could see everyone. They needed to talk about the situation they could be facing and they needed to agree to a plan that would keep them all safe. As the pack leader, it was her responsibility to keep them safe but also to listen to their concerns and consider their ideas. At least if they were being reasonable and using their heads instead of their tempers. All the adults moved to sit in a half circle around her, except Karthik who, ever the babysitter, gathered all the cubs together so as to offer comfort if needed. Eyes moved between Krisna and Bilal. Apparently everyone had figured out that they had had another fight.

Krisna called to her younger cub who was curled up in his brother’s arms. “Nadi, please tell everyone exactly what you saw today.”

Naditha looked up at her and slowly looked at the rest of the pack. Then he lowered his eyes to the floor and spoke in a soft halting voice. “I was outside with Aditya. We were just playing and I saw some creatures walking towards the mountain. They were looking for something, kept asking if they had found it. There was something else with them, just one but it was different from the others. Smelled better. I had never seen anything like them. They kept coming closer and closer. Adi didn’t see them. I told him we had to run so we ran inside and closed the door. We came straight back here, to this room, right away. Mom wasn’t here so I went looking for her. Adi stayed here. Mom said they were dwarves and the one that was different was a hobbit.”

Shamari leaned forward and asked, “before you came in, did you count how many there were?” Naditha shook his head. She asked again, “do you think there is more of them or more of us?” Naditha shrugged. Shamari leaned back with a sigh, “so most likely we are about equal in numbers.”

“For now,” Bilal muttered, “what if more come?”

“There are always more,” Mahni cut in before Krisna could answer. “The better question is, are they coming and why would they come?”

“That’s two questions,” Diya sniped.

“it’s possible whatever they are looking for is outside and once they find it they will leave,” Samira suggested.

“not likely. I guarantee they are looking for a way in. trying to get to the treasure in the Great Chamber,” Bilal argued.

“If that’s the case, we can stay out of sight until they find what they want and then they will be on their way.” Samira countered.

“Shriya had an idea that I think we should consider,” said Krisna. “We could send Shamari with the cubs to the lower chambers where we know they will be safe. Then the rest of us stand watch at the doors. If they stay outside well and good.”

“And if they get in?” Bilal interrupted.

“Watch from a distance. Try to determine their purpose. If necessary, me, Bilal and Mato can intimidate them into leaving. But only if necessary. We don’t want to risk a fight if we don’t absolutely have to.” Krisna replied.

“Would it be safer for us to leave and find a new home?” Zadie asked, eyeing Bilal warily.

Krisna shook her head but Karthik spoke up first. “It’s too close to winter. We risk losing the cubs to the cold.” Krisna and the other females nodded in agreement. Bilal’s hard eyes met Krisna’s. Stubbornly, the two stared each other down.

At last, Bilal gave a stiff nod. “Fine, we’ll watch and wait.”

Diya and Zadie left to gather enough meat to last Shamari and the cubs several days. Mahni and Samira gathered up the blankets and Karthik lit a torch from the fire so they would have light and heat in the lower chambers. Then they all started walking down the long, dark tunnels. Krisna and Shriya held their cubs to reassure them. Bilal held Shamari tight.

In the lowest levels of the mountain were sets of rooms that had most likely been homes for poorer families. Diya and Mahni had done the most exploring down there and had never found anything more valuable than some pots and cooking tools. There was however, something that the pack held in great value down there: a lake. How it came to be there, none of them could guess but it was cold, clean and massive. Even with torches and their superb night vision, none of them could see to the other side. And while it was shallow by the shore, the depth dropped so far that no one was willing to try and swim it. With the lake and the meat they brought with them, Shamari and the cubs could last for days, if not weeks, in relative safety.

After seeing them safely settled, Krisna, Bilal and Karthik went to join Mato by the western door. Diya, Mahni and Zadie went to the lookouts in the uppermost chambers where they could watch the surrounding lands for signs of more dwarves approaching the mountain. Samira and Shriya headed towards the ruins of what had once been the main gate. It was agreed that Karthik, Zadie and Shriya would act as messengers if needed since they were the smallest, even in their shifted forms.

 

 

Once they were out of sight of the others, Bilal stopped Krisn and motioned for Karthik to go on ahead. While Krisna did not want another fight with her brother today, it did not look like Bilal was going to take another step until he had said his peace. She set her feet, squared her shoulders and met his eyes with grim determination. Bilal’s face was set like stone, firm and unmoving.

“Shamari thinks I should apologies,” he ground out through his teeth.

“I take it you do not share her opinion.”

“No, I don’t. since you came back into our lives and took charge of the pack,” he paused. His eyes closed and he took several deep breaths through his nose. “It no longer matters. What’s done is done and here we are.”

“We’ve survived worse. We’ll get through this.”

“you better hope you’re right,” Bilal grumbled and turned to continue down the tunnel after Karthik. Krisna sighed and followed.

 

 

Mato had his ear against the door. His eyes were closed and he had a frown on his face. Krisna and the others approached slowly and quietly.

“There aren’t many,” Mato whispered. “Ten at most. They’re definitely trying to get in.”

Bilal glared at Krisna who resolutely ignored him.

“Any idea what they want,” Karthink asked in a voice even softer than Mato’s.

“it sounds like some of them have been here before. They’re telling the others stories about what it is like in here. And it’s not guesses, they’re describing things really accurately. One’s been talking about the fire lizard.”

“this just keeps getting better and better,” Bilal muttered. Krisna glared at him.

“The moon is about to rise. If they don’t already know how to open the door they’ll see the keyhole soon,” Krisna thought aloud. “Let’s move back around the corner. That way we’ll see them before they see us.”

“if they are a threat we’ll be able to eliminate them before they know what hit them,” Bilal continued.

“Karthik, go tell the others that the dwarves are here, trying to get in. Tell them to stay where they are but to keep alert.”

Karthik was off before Krisna finished speaking. The remaining three moved down into a side passageway that crossed the main one. Krisna and Bilal turned down one way and Mato turned down the other. Both males had their backs to the wall while Krisna faced Bilal. From that position, she was the only one able to see the door. All three were motionless, holding their breaths, waiting to see if the dwarves would be able to open the door.

Mere minutes after moonrise, the door opened. The dwarves walked in slowly, gently caressing the stone walls. They spoke in voices too low to understand the words but the overwhelming emotion in them was undeniable. The hobbit entered with them, not speaking or touching but looking and examining.

Krisna quietly signaled to Bilal and Mato that there were ten in total that had entered the mountain. They waited for what felt like an age, but none moved more than a few steps from the door. Bilal glared at the wall in frustration for he could not understand what they were speaking about. Krisna thought he was torn between wanting to dispose of them immediately and waiting patiently for them to make a move. She gently placed a firm hand over his heart, a silent message to wait. Glancing at Mato, she saw that he was watching her intensely, waiting for her signal. Krisna turned back to the dwarves and braced her feet and tensed her muscles for something was happening. The hobbit and one of the dwarves were coming down the tunnel. Quickly, she ducked further back into the shadows as Bilal and Mato prepared to pounce. The pair walked past them, unaware of the three watching from the shadows. Finally, their voices were distinct enough to understand.

“you want me to find a jewel?” the hobbit asked.

“a large white jewel, the Arkenstone,” the dwarf answered.

“But Balin, there must be thousands of white jewels down there,” the hobbit replied.

“there is only one Arkenstone,” the newly dubbed Balin said, “you’ll know it when you see it.”

Krisna felt Bilal’s gasp as he tensed even tighter. Mato’s eyes went wide and he gripped the stone wall so hard his knuckles went white. Krisna could not hear the rest of their conversation over the pounding of her heart. The star jewel! They were here looking for the star jewel!

Suddenly she realized that the dwarves were leaving and the hobbit was venturing into the mountain. As soon as the dwarves were out of sight, she motioned to Mato and the three quickly took off down the tunnel to intercept the hobbit.

Balin must have given the hobbit directions because he walked steadily, if slowly, through the gloom towards the Great Chamber. Once they reached the chamber, the three crouched in hiding. Still as stone they silently watched and waited as he wandered deeper and deeper into the mountains of gold. Bilal could see his progress best from where he was hiding. Quietly he shifted and with his cat eyes, he could see any movement.

“He’s looking for the fire lizard,” he whispered to the others. “he’s not sure if it’s alive or dead.”

“Why is he even here?” Mato hissed back, “Hobbits are not fighters or heroes. What did the dwarves expect him to do if the beast still lived?”

No one had an answer for that. Suddenly, Bilal saw, and the other two heard, the hobbit stop. For a few moments, Krisna could hear nothing except Mato’s breath right beside her. Then they heard the hobbit speak.

“Hello? Who’s there?” His voice carried, even though it waivered. “where are you?”

Krisna caught Bilal’s eye and nodded. Then, as silently as she could, still being on only two legs, she circled round behind the hobbit as Bilal slowly raised himself up and stepped into the hobbits vision. As soon as he saw the great lion, the hobbit’s eyes bulged and he let out a gasp. He stumbled back a few steps before he turned and ran as fast as he could. It took Bilal only two great bounds before he pounced on the hobbit. Krisna growled, “that was not part of the plan!” She shifted and moved to stand behind Bilal while Mato ran up on two legs.

Though he was shaking, and considerably whiter than he had been only a few moments ago, the hobbit was valiantly trying to push Bilal off him. At the same moment, all three of them saw that he was also attempting to reach a dagger that was strapped to his waist.

 


End file.
